UN lauds Philippines handling of Typhoon Lando

UNITED NATIONS: Typhoon Lando (international name: Koppu), which made landfall in the Philippines on Sunday, is slow moving and is expected to continue bringing rainfall along its path, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Monday.

At least 10 people were killed and five others injured as Typhoon Koppu lashed the northern Philippines for the second day, the government reported.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlstrom, lauded the Philippines government for its efforts to reduce mortality and the numbers of people affected by the typhoon.

“The communication of early warnings in the Philippines has improved significantly since Typhoon Haiyan claimed over 6,000 lives in November 2013,” said Wahlstrom in a press release.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing that “the UN is working with the government to carry out rapid needs assessments to better understand the humanitarian impact of the Typhoon.”

The UN Children’s Fund has pre-positioned supplies for about 12,000 families, including water purification tablets, hygiene kits, medicines, school supplies, therapeutic food, tents and generators, said Dujarric.

According to local authorities, a total of 283,486 persons were affected in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol and Cordillera Administrative Region, with 36 road sections and 18 bridges remaining not impassable.

Powerful winds and heavy rain caused power interruptions in three cities and 65 municipalities in Luzon. Bad weather also led to the cancellation of 48 flights, with more than 5,000 passengers and 215 rolling cargoes stranded. PNA/Xinhua